First National Bank & Trust | Artwork by local artist: Mike Kopriva

About The Artist: Mike Kopriva

Mike Kopriva was born in Powell, Wyoming in 1952.  When he was 11 his father gave Mike his oil paints and encouraged his artistic interests.  At Powell  High School, Mike took art from Bill McRann, winning many awards for his paintings and sculptures.  In college he majored in art and graduated with an AA from NWC, a BFA and MFA from the University of Wyoming in 1976. 

As a professional artist Mike has won many competitions and commissions.  Among the more notable is the 8'x22' Wyoming State Capitol Mural in Cheyenne.  In 1986 Mike won another commission which was a 20' long steel relief mural "The History of Transportation"  in the Dept. of Transportation in Rockville,MD.  His painting "The Spirit of Wyoming" was presented to the officers and crew of the USS Wyoming Trident  Submarine. It hangs in the crews' mess hall aboard the sub.

Dick Nelson of First National Bank & Trust began collecting Mikes' art in the early 1970s.  After winning the Banks' Historical Art contest in 1976, Mike was commissioned by the Nelsons to paint over a dozen local and historical scenes.  In 1988 he was asked to paint the Heart Mountain image for the Banks' first credit card.  There are now four different Visa cards and a debit card with Mikes' paintings. Several limited edition prints have also been produced by First National of Mikes' work.  The Bank  has three steel relief murals, three painted murals , and a life sized steel irrigator statue which they commissioned from Mike.

In 2003 Mike was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Acheivement from NWC.  He has been nominated three times for the Governors' Art Award.  Mike works in his home studio south of Powell and continues to express himself through his own distictitive style of the realistic tradition.